Process of manufacturing fertilizer.



. dust is made up of a thereby producing a. fertilizer resident of Sharpsburg,

JAMES H. CONNOR, SHARPSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING FERTILIZER.

N0 Drawing.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, JAMES H. CoNNon, a in the county. of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes of Manufacturing Fertilizer, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to a process of ticularly a fertilizer which can be made from furnace flue dust, iron ore or other cheap substances or products. The object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a cheap and eflicient fertilizer having a certain percentage of potash or potassium compound which isfreadily soluble 'and therefore available to enrich the soil.v

Blast" furnaces produce large quantities of flue dust, which is usually a waste product and which entails expense for hauling it away or otherwise disposing of it. Such flue silica; lime, particles of carbon, and other substances, and also contains a considerable amount of sodium and potassium compounds, derived in part from part from the coal or added to the burden of these substances contain a certain amount of potassium compounds, as impurities, and these potassium compounds go out mostly with the flue dust.

he purpose of the present invention is to render the potassium compounds of the flue dust soluble and available as a fertilizer,

at comparatively low cost, due to the fact that flue dust practically has no value. Certain iron ores also contain a very material quantity of potassium compounds and in localities where these are available atcomparatively low cost, they may be used in place of the flue dust.

The potassiu compounds of the flue dust or other iron co pounds are rendered soluble and available by heating or calcining the flue dust or iron ore with a sodium compound, and where sodium compounds containing potash or potassium compounds can 'ned at a low cost, these are precoke and limestone the furnace. All of be obtal ferred as their potassium content will in crease the available potash in the'fertilizer. Salt residue, that is the residue in the evaporating pans or pots after the crystallization of the sodium chlorid, is a cheap form of sodium compound suitable for rendering the Specification of Letters Patent.

and either with water in asuitable mixture of iron oxid,

the iron ore, and in,

available potash content Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

Application filed September 23, 1914. Serial N 0. 863,105.

potassium compounds of the flue dust or iron ore soluble, as well as increasing the available potash in the fertilizer.

In carrying out the process, the flue dust, iron ore or other iron compound, in a finely divided condition, is mixed with a suitable .quantity of the sodium compound, such as the salt residue above referred to, and the mixture is then heated in a suitable oven or kiln to the temperature ranging from 1350 to 3000 Fahrenheit. The oven or kiln may be of any suitable kind, heated either by gas, electricity, or in any other manner. The substances may be mixed either wet or dry hot or cold. They may be mixed mixer and then fed into the oven or kiln, or may be fed into the oven or kiln in a dry state. These substances may be mixed in any suitable proportions, depending upon the amount of potassium compounds in the several ingredients and the amount of available potash desired in-the fertilizer. Preferably they are treated in batches containing from 1200 to, 1800 pounds 'of flue dust or other iron compound and having mixed therewith from 5% to' 25% of the salt residue.

By heating these substances to the tem- 'perature above specified, the potassium compounds of the flue dust or iron ore are rendered soluble and available as a fertilizing compound, and if the sodium compound also contains potassium are added to the fertilizer and increase the of the latter. In this manner an efficient fertilizer containing appreciable quantities of potash in a soluble and available form, is produced.

I fter calcining, the mass is cooled and is then available asa fertilizer, but preferably it is ground to a suitable fineness to more thoroughly mix the ingredients and enable the potash tobe more easily absorbed by the soil.

Various other substances may be used either with or as a substitute for the flue 'dustor iron ore, depending upon what substances it is desired to furnish to the soil.

Such substances, forexample, are carbon in tasium nitrate, chlorate or phosphate, alumicompounds, these i various forms.

num compounds. sulfur, and phosphorus in The salt or soda compound may also be in various forms, such as sodium carbonate, sodium sulfate, caustic soda, salt bottoms, sodium chlorid,'sodium nitrate, sodium phosphate, sodium silicate, sodium sulfid, caustic soda bottoms, salt cake, sodium thiosulfate, niter, or sodium peroxid.

When the substances are heated or fused together in a rotary kiln or furnace to the proper temperature the various ingredients become available and soluble, producing a fertilizer containing from ,Qwto 18 per cent. of soluble potash material, or even higher according to the particular ingredients added. Steam may also be passed into the rotary kiln, furnace or oven, which has a tendency to hasten the reaction and more quickly render the potash compounds soluble and available.

The fertilizer can be made almost Wholly from waste or cheap substances and is a very efficient fertilizer, due to the potassium compounds contained therein.

lVhat I claim is 1. T he process of producing artificial fertilizer, consisting in mixing salt residue with an iron compound and a potassium compound in a fine condition, and calcining the mixture and thereby reducing the potash compound in the iron compound to a soluble or available form.

2. The process of producing artificial fertilizer, consisting in mixing flue dust con taining iron and potassium compound and a sodium compound, and calcining the mixture to thereby reduce the potassium compound in the flue dust to a solubleor avail able form.

The process of producing artificial fertilizer, consisting in mixing flue dust containing iron and potassium compound and salt residue, and calcining the mixture to thereby reduce the potassium compound in the flue dust to a soluble or available form.

-fl. The process of producing artificial fertilizer, consisting in mixing flue dust containing iron and potassium, compound With from 5% to of sodium compound, and heating the mixture and thereby reducing the potassium compound of the flue dust to a soluble or available form.

5. The process of producing artificial fertilizer, which consists in mixing blast furnace flue dust containing iron and potassium compound and salt residue, and calcining th mixture to thereby reduce the potassium compound in the flue dust to. a soluble or available form.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES H. CONNOR.

Witnesses: 7 i

CLARnNcn E. REEM'rsEN, Reuse E. RUDOLPH. 

